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Men in Black Jul 28, 2017

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It's hard to believe that the original Men in Black is twenty-years-old this summer. Part of the reason for that might be that the footprint it left in pop-culture is still firmly cemented, but there are also so many aspects of this that feel timeless. Between the retro-futuristic production design, the seamless blend of practical effects & CGI, and an irreverent sense of humor that never gets old, this could go toe-to-toe with a lot of more current releases. As kids, all of us enjoyed this more than we expected to going in - which is not to say we weren't looking forward to it. It's just that the film was even better than we imagined. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover that almost all of this still works two decades later. Topics include: the fairly dramatic liberties the filmmakers took with the comic book source material, original choices for the roles of J and K, the understated brilliance of Tommy Lee Jones' performance, the fact that no one really passed the MiB tryouts, how you'd deploy a neuralizer in your everyday life if those actually existed, where second film went wrong, how the third out sorta made up for it, and much much more!

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Blank Check Jul 14, 2017

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We've lost count of how many times Blank Check has been requested for this podcast and we're really hoping it's because you guys know realize absolutely bonkers it is. While there were no shortage of Home Alone knock-offs in the wake of that film's success, this is probably the only one that features a romantic subplot involving a grown woman and a child. To say we were surprised by this would be a massive understatement. Considering that the writer went on to pen one of the definitive books on screenwriting, it's astonishing how disjointed the plot is and what a murky (and creepy) sense of morality this exhibits. Buckle up, 'cause this one was a wild ride. Topics include: the key difference between a movie like this and other wish-fulfillment stories like Home Alone or Big, the missteps the script makes in setting up Preston's character and how little Act 1 has anything to do with what transpires in Act 3, the coo coo bananas crazy parents and their unrealistic expectations for their son, the least effective way to launder money, how far one million dollars would actually go, why the character of Henry deserves to be in a better movie, the absolutely insane final moments, and much much more!

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Weekend at Bernie's Jun 30, 2017

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It's certainly not the most noteworthy comedy from this era, but Weekend at Bernie's managed to stand strong against some pretty fierce competition in the summer of 1989 and its continued success on home video and cable helped cement its reputation as a cult classic. So while our generation tends to regard this film quite fondly, the HDYR gang wasn't super familiar with it. Chris watched it a couple of times as a kid, Carlos had only seen the sequel, and Donna had never seen either of them. Topics include: Elements introduced in the first ten minutes that the script doesn't follow through on, a first act that's remarkably similar to Ghost, the director's impressive (and diverse) filmography, a lot of love for Terry Kiser's performance (both before and after he kicks the bucket), how they manage to keep us laughing throughout the story's darkest moments, and much much more!

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Ghost Jun 16, 2017

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Some of the key players involved with Ghost felt that the film was either going to be something really special or a total disaster. And you know what? When you look at all of the risky decisions that were made here, it really could have gone either way. There were some unexpected casting choices, a director known strictly for slapstick comedy, complicated effects sequences, a barrage of different tones to manage, and an unusual central premise. Fortunately, the film was a hit with audiences and critics - but how does it hold up nearly three decades later?

Topics include: what the first act has in common with a Final Destination movie, sitting through sex scenes with your parents (or grandparents), the atypical creative choices that went on to define the film, that time McDonald's tried to get it on the flourishing home video market, why Carlos sincerely believes Sam should just let Molly get killed, and much much more!

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Cool Runnings Jun 02, 2017

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Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up... it's podcast time! This week the HDYR gang is separating fact from fiction with their look back at Disney's kinda/sorta/not really "true story" of the first Jamaican bobsled team. Once you get past the fact that 95% of this was made up, however, there's still plenty to love about this movie. Topics include: the shift from straightforward sports drama to broad comedy, why the real story of this team doesn't make for a particularly compelling film, our pitch for a revised version of this sport, whether or not Derice is an effective protagonist, a shocking fact about one of the writers that might explain a few or our issues with the script, and much much more!

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Alien May 19, 2017

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In space, no one can hear you scream - but on this episode of HDYR, you can hear all of us gushing over Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. We were introduced to the film at different ages, but we all walked away with the same impression... this is one incredible and terrifying movie. We've seen a lot of talented filmmakers play in this sandbox over the years, but there's something so singular and iconic about what Scott managed to capture here. Alien contains some of the most inventive and influential images ever put on film.

You'd think that the level of over-saturation the brand has experienced would severely hinder the effectiveness of this original entry, but it remains as visceral and frightening as ever.

Topics include: some key differences between Alien and its sequels, the genius of using separate artists to design different aspects of this world, the incredible first act and the intriguing questions we didn't need answered in future films, why one of the least impressive Xenomorph costumes still comes across as one of the best, Carlos' unlikely strategy for defeating an unstoppable killing machine, Chris' awkward first attempts at erotic horror, and much much more!

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The Good Son May 05, 2017

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The major selling point of The Good Son was how dramatically Macaulay Culkin was playing against type. As it turns out, the three of us remembered more about our initial reactions to that than we did anything from the film itself. Unfortunately, once you get past the novelty of seeing Kevin McCallister transformed into Michael Myers, there's just not much going on here. Ideas are presented but not explored, characters don't change that much, and in its race to check every box on the list of thriller cliches, the movie forgot to put a new spin on any of them. Topics include: the project's evolution from a lower-budget/riskier concept into a safer and more mainstream major release, a score that draws attention to itself for all the wrong reasons, at least three other much simpler ways to tell this story, a lot of love for Elijah Wood, listener comments, and much much more!

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Saturday Morning Cartoons Apr 21, 2017

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It's not about one particular title on this week's episode of HDYR, it's about an experience - Saturday Morning Cartoons. We're going back to the days of waking up early, pouring a bowl of your favorite cereal, and navigating between each network's line-up of shows.

A lot of these have come up in passing before and many of them have been requested over the years as well, but we thought this would be a fun way to cast a wide net and cover as many of them as possible in one go. You'll hear about some of our favorites, we'll read through your responses, and then it all winds down with a Real Life Retweets segment about which universes you'd have crossover. Topics include: way too many to name! The Real Ghostbusters, Eek! The Cat, Garfield, He-Man, Jem, Transformers, Beetlejuice, Muppet Babies, Animaniacs, Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog, X-Men, Ninja Turtles, Bobby's World, DuckTales, ThunderCats, M.A.S.K., and so much more! Seriously. Soooo much.

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10 Things I Hate About You Apr 07, 2017

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From the mid-90s to the early aughts, there were a slew of contemporary retellings of some of Shakespeare's better known plays. 10 Things I Hate About You, a lighthearted spin on The Taming of the Shrew, remains one of the more beloved. It ditches most of the source material's problematic elements, but we're not sure it ever completely overcomes them. It doesn't matter, though. There's a lot about this movie that all three of us are willing to forgive because of how much it gets right. From the inspired casting choices to its cheeky sense of humor, this is a film that manages to completely transcend its shortcomings. Topics include: the elements of the play that the movie wisely ignores, how it still gets a little tripped up by what's left, the amazing cast of supporting characters, the TV series it inspired, the "spiritual sequel" that never got off the ground, the one subplot none of us could get on board with, a shockingly abrupt resolution, and much much more!

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The Mighty Ducks Mar 24, 2017

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The early/mid-90s were sort of a golden age for sports comedies aimed at kids, but The Mighty Ducks was initially conceived as something a little bit more grown up. The tone of the original script was more in line with The Bad News Bears than the family-friendly Disney film it morphed into. We had clearer memories of D2 going into this, so it was surprising to see how many traces of that other version are still evident here - and how dramatically they help differentiate this movie from the next one in the series.

Topics include: some conflicting opinions over the effectiveness of Gordon's back story, the Ducks who carry over into the sequels and those who get left behind, the simple reason that Coach Reilly is the best antagonist in the franchise, how Hans affords that castle, a few ideas about how to streamline a very chaotic second act, an introduction to some new games, the return of an old favorite, and much much more!

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